New Wash Units Help Recreational Boaters Keep Invasive Species Out of Oregon

We have joined with the Oregon Marine Board and Pacific States Marine Fisheries to purchase five portable wash units for recreational boaters traveling into Oregon. The hot pressure wash units are used to reduce the chance that destructive invasive marine species like zebra and Quagga are introduced into Oregon waterways.

As an active member of the Oregon Invasive Species Council, we contributed $10,000 to the effort. We have several initiatives in place to reduce the introduction of non-native species through our marine and aviation facilities. This new effort targets recreational boaters, which don’t have to meet the same regulations as commercial shipping.

When recreational boats are used in affected areas, then moved to new waters, invasive species can often go with them. In infancy, zebra and Quagga mussels are about the size of a grain of sand and are hard to see with the naked eye. The self-contained wash units are a convenient way for people to clean their boats while ensuring invasive hitchhikers aren’t along for the ride.

The wash units are based in Baker City, Klamath Falls, Ashland, and Roseburg, and a fifth unit will be loaned out at special events like tournaments or during busy holiday weekends.